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PIONEERS 

THE REVOLUTION 

rOR THE YOUNG PEOPLIl 



BY A COLONIST 



^^ay^-^^ 



SECOND EDITION 



BLOOMINGTON, ll-I— 

PUBLIC-SCHOOL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1897 



\^^ (p-^^Sv^'t^O COPIES RECEIVED 




9858 



By Public-School, Publishing Company, 
bloomington, illinois. 



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f>^ 



Pi^ess and Bindery 
Pantagraph Printing and Stationery Co. 
Bloomington, Illinois. 



PUBLISHER'S PREFACE. 



HE FOLLOWING story is from the 
pen of one of our most popular and 
best known writers for boys and 
girls. It deals with a class of events not 
so well known to the general public as 
they deserve to be. The heroes of those 
pioneer conflicts with the Indians and with 
detachments of the British army, during 
the Revolutionary war, are not altogether 
overlooked by historians, but their great 
service in a critical period of this war has 
seldom been acknowledged in such a way 
as to give an idea of its true value. 

The author has thrown a great deal of 
spirit and dash into this narrative, which 
is sure to carry the boy or girl reader on 
to the end. It is brimful of that patriotic 



4 Preface. 

fervor which stirred the Colonists and' Pio- 
neers during ''the time that tried men's 
souls." It appeals to the child's love of 
heroism as few history stories do. It de- 
scribes a series of conflicts from the be- 
ginning to the end, in which is displayed 
personal valor that rivaled that of the he- 
roes of the crusades. But these were not 
piping times of peace, and, besides, it is 
not unfitting that the children of this gen- 
eration shall early gain some conception of 
what our freedom cost those who did bat- 
tle for it, while surrounded by dangers that 
would have paralyzed less heroic souls. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Three Cheers for the Pioneers, 
Rear Guards, .... 
The Rear Attacks, 
The First Encounter, 
Two Brave Women, 
Another British Scheme, 
George Rogers Clark, . 
The Indians of the Southeast 
Pioneers Again to the Front, 
The Battle of King's Mountain 
Indian Wars, .... 
The End of the War, 



PAGE 

7 
10 
27 
39 
44 
54 
59 
63 
75 
85 
98 
118 




Father of Our Country. 




PIONEER HOME. 



THREE CHEERS FOR THE PIONEERS! 




'HO are the Pioneers? Well, accord- 
ing to the dictionary definition they 
seem to be, in history, any first set- 
tlers. So, the Puritans, the Pilgrims, the 
Quakers, and all the colonial settlers, were 
pioneers. 

But it is not those we mean. When we 
speak of the Pioneers in the history of our 
own particular country, we mean the people 
who settled west of the Alleghanies. For 
it happens that in some way the settlers 



10 Pioneers of the Revolution. 



REAR GUARDS. 



jl^OT a history in our land but tells of the 
lii^ bravery, the daring, the courage, the 
sufferings of the Colonial leaders; 
a,nd proud are we all that all these things 
are true; proud are we of every man who 
stood his ground and helped to save his 
country. May the names of them all, from 
the least to the greatest, never be forgotten 
by the children of the land! 

But there were heroes outside the Col- 
onies, — Pioneers who has crossed the Alle- 
ghanies, and had already turned their faces 
toward the great broad prairies of the West; 
Pioneers who had already made happy 
homes for themselves beyond the Allegha- 
nies, and who might, had they been less 
brave, less true, less loyal, have escaped the 



Rear Guards. ll 

terrors and the sufferings of the war of the 
Revolution, and have lived out their lives in 
peace and quiet. 

It was a great epoch in the history of our 
country — far greater than Colonists or Pio- 
neers then dreamed — when, a short time 
before the Revolution, a few daring men 
crossed the mountains, and "cleared" for 
themselves farms in the heart of the west- 
ern wilderness. 

Little did these Pioneers realize how great 
a part they were to play in the war so soon 
to burst upon the Colonies; how great a 
responsibility was to fall upon them; and 
how largely the saving of their people would 
depend upon their bravery and their willing- 
ness to stand in the mountain passes and 
hold the enemy in check. 

They had come here, across the moun- 
tains, simple, honest, home-loving people, 
with no other expectation than to live quiet 



12 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

lives, and make comfortable homes for them- 
selves and for their children. 

It was a beautiful country and the soil 
was rich. Captain William Bean, who 
pushed his way first into the land, and 
whose little son, Russel, as every Tennes- 
see boy and girl knows, was the first white 
child born in that state, made many a jour- 
ney back to the East to tell the people of 
the beauty of his new home and to urge 
them to come and see for themselves. 

Every week, almost every day, settlers 
came in from across the mountains. Up 
the Watauga, down the Holston, they scat- 
tered; until, the good old captain used to 
say, ' 'There will be as many people west of 
the Alleghanies some day as there are east 
of them!" 

What would he say, we wonder, if he 
could look in upon this great nation of ours 
now, stretching as it does from the Atlantic 



Rear Guards. i3 

to the Pacific! But they were brave men and 
women, these first ''westerners," staunch 
and strong to endure. 

When they left their eastern homes, and 
set forth into the mountains, they knew there 
was a hard hfe before them; but lovers of 
freedom as they were — and they were not 
all free among the people of Virginia and 
North Carolina in those days — they flinched 
not, nor turned back. 

These people always came in groups, for 
they needed each other's protection in this 
wilderness, alive as it was with treacherous 
and cruel redskins; and then, too, they 
needed quite as much whatever courage 
each could give the other in the first lonely 
years of their forest life. 

And so, packing their household goods 
upon the backs of horses, these first pioneers 
set forth from their homes in the 'colonies. 
They had little to take with them, but as 



14 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

they would say in their own cheerful, 
courageous way: "The less we have, the 
easier to make our way through the moun- 
tain passes," and so, always hopeful, they 
pushed on. 

The poor among them counted themselves 
most fortunate if they could take with them 
a few cooking utensils, a wooden bowl for 
bread-making, some salt and corn, and a 
few bottles of medicine. 

Sometimes the richer people could afford 
to carry some sugar and coffee, a flitch of 
bacon, and, if they could procure an extra 
pack horse, even a bag or two of flour. 

If, besides this, they could drive before 
them a cow and a pig or two, they were, in- 
deed, the most fortunate of beings, and 
their start in the new country already gave 
assurance of success. 

As they traveled on through the moun- 
tains, the old people and the mothers, with 



Rear Guards. 15 

their babies, would ride among the house- 
hold goods or upon the backs of the horses, 
the young people would walk in advance, 
and at night all would encamp beneath 
the trees. 

Every one, even the children, carried a 
rifle, for well they knew the dangers that 
lay in wait for them along the way. 

The men and boys had thrown aside their 
suits of homespun, and were clothed warmly 
if not elegantly in suits of bearskin. They 
wore a hunting jacket of bearskin, some won- 
derful leggins, and more wonderful mocca- 
sins. At their waists were girdles into which 
were thrust knives and tomahawks ; for, 
when going into the lands of the Indians, it 
was well to be armed with all weapons that 
could be used in the defense of their lives. 

The caps, too, of these brave men were 
made of bearskin, and if the wearer chanced 
to be of a jovial turn of mind, or if his wife, 



16 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

who had made the cap, had an eye to the 
decorative, it v^as Hkely to be ornamented 
with the bushy tail of a fox or of the animal 
whose skin had furnished material for the 
suit itself. 

"Cap tails are cheerful," these people 
would say; and indeed they must have 
been, bobbing and frisking about as they 
did with the wearers every motion. The 
cap tails of some of these Pioneers were 
never still; and there came a time when 
even the British generals learned to watch 
with fear and trembling the bobbing of 
them, and estimate thereby the intentions 
and the determination of the wearers. 

When at last these mountains were passed 
— for it took days and days of hard travel — 
the people would choose a site for their 
future homes and set to work — fathers, 
mothers, and children altogether. There 
were no lazy folk among these settlers, and 



Rear Guards. 17 

every soul of them was ready and eager to 
do his part. 

It was a dense wilderness into which they 
had come, and often their homes were far 
apart. So hushed and still was the forest, 
that only the rustling of the leaves and the 
singing of the birds greeted their approach; 
and when the Pioneer broke the silence with 
the ringing of his axe, the sound of it rolled 
out across the fields and the echo of it came 
back from the hillsides. At night the wolf 
howled, the panther screamed, and out from 
the depths of the forest came the hootings 
of the owl. 

It was a beautiful country; the waters of 
the Watauga sparkled, and the skies, blue 
as are the skies of Tennessee today, were 
mirrored in the mountain lakes. But on 
every side were dangers. Savages lurked 
in those purple mountains, and from the 
rich dark forests, at any moment the yell 



18 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

of the redskin might burst upon the ear. 
First of all, then, a cabin with palisades 
must be built; and the trees, — all within 
gunshot of the cabin — behind which an 
Indian could hide and fire, must be cut. 
From the trunks of these trees logs for the 
cabin must be hewn. 

Very rude were these first cabins; the 
logs were cut and notched at the ends that 
each might fit into and so support the other 
as the walls were raised. Into the spaces 
between the logs, wedges were fitted to 
keep out the rain and snow. 

Sometimes, but not often, a floor of hewn 
logs was laid; but usually it was a carpet of 
pine needles strewn upon the ground. On 
the outside of the cabin, a huge chimney of 
mud and stones was built with its fire-place 
opening into the interior; then to this rude 
building a roof, covered with bark, was 
added, a door was barred across the en- 



Rear Guards. 19 

trance, bearskins were hung at the windows, 
and the home was ready. 

The moving in was a simple affair even 
with the wealthiest of the Pioneers; for 
there was likely to be little furniture beyond 
a rough table built into the wall, a few three- 
legged stools, a kettle to hang in the fire- 
place, and possibly, if the family was very 
ambitious, a rude bedstead might be built, 
— though usually, heaps of soft leaves piled 
in the corners, with bear skins for blankets, 
were all the beds these first people had to 
sleep upon. 

Housekeeping was very simple in these 
pioneer homes; for there were "no spring 
cleanings;" dish washing was reduced to a 
minimum; and even the cooking could vary 
but little. Often when corn failed, whole 
families would live for weeks on nothing but 
meat; and even when corn was plentiful, 
little could be made from it with only a fire- 



20 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

place as a cook-stove, except the simple 
journey cake, or as we call it now the yohnny- 
cake, — which was baked in the hot ashes or 
over the uneven blaze. 

If to this Johnny-cake the settlers could 
add a bit of bear grease, or syrup from the 
maple trees, or honey from a bee tree, they 
counted themselves as guests in the pres- 
ence of a royal feast. 

Their coffee they made from parched rye 
and corn; their tea from the bark of the 
sassafras tree. 

When washing day came, the house-wife 
took her clothes, — and they were very few — 
down to a neighboring brook, and when they 
were washed, hung them upon the trees to 
dry. 

As soon as training could bring it about, 
the cows, and horses, and even the pigs 
were taught to flee from lurking savages to 
their homes within the protection of the 



Rear Guards. 21 

strong palisades; and more than once, in 
these early days, the squealing of the pigs 
and the frightened bellowing of the cows 
warned the people of danger near at hand. 
Then horns were blown, the men in the 
fields hurried to their fortress, and, barring 
the palisades, awaited, rifle in hand, the 
coming of the savages. 

Now these people had come, most if not 
all of them, from Virginia and North Caro- 
lina; but across the mountains they were 
outside of the protection as well as beyond 
the control of the colonies. 

For a long time the little settlement flour- 
ished without laws or government of any 
kind. They were free and independent, 
and subject only to the dictates of their 
own honest hearts. They were earnest, 
honest people, with no desire to harm or 
misuse each other, but ready always to 
band together against a common foe. For 



22 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

such there was Httle need of law. But 
there came a time, by and by, when Tories 
appeared among them; and men who, 
attracted by stories of possible gain, had 
crossed the mountains, urged on by greed. 
Then disputes began to rise; ownership of 
land was questioned, and the Watauga As- 
sociation, as it was called, was formed; laws 
were made; and Tennessee was under its 
first government. 

It was a simple code of laws which these 
honest people made — simple and just and 
fair to all — and among the men who drew 
up the constitution, Tennessee children may 
be proud to read the famous names of such 
men as Robertson and Sevier. 

The Rear Guard of the Revolution:* 
That is what one historian has called these 
Pioneers; and grandly indeed do they de- 
serve the noble name. 



*James R. Gilmore. See his Rear Guard of the Revolution 
and Advance Guard of Civilization. 



Rear Guards. 23 

It is a name every Western boy and girl 
should seize upon and claim forever for 
these earliest Pioneers, these first settlers 
of the West. 

For, as we shall see, to them is indeed 
due to no small degree, the honor of holding 
back from attack upon the Colonies, the 
fifty thousand brutal, blood-thirsty Indians, 
— allies of the English — who, when they 
knew that war was abroad in the land, hur- 
ried forward, tomahawk in hand, glad of 
the cruel opportunity to fall upon the white 
men, attack them from the rear, and so 
weaken, and cripple, and hamper them in 
their already unequal struggle with the 
English foe. 

Indeed, brave as the Colonists were, and 
untiringly as they fought, it is a question, 
and one well worth considering, whether or 
not, had these little bands of Pioneers not 
stood against the Indian forces that pressed 



24 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

on towards the Alleghanies, the Colonists 
could have held their ground and have 
come out, as they did, triumphant in their 
struggle for American liberty. 

But there the Pioneers ranged them- 
selves — a mere handful of riflemen though 
they were — along the western base of the 
Alleghanies; and beating back the assaults 
of the Indian allies of the British, held the 
mountain passes, and so saved the already 
hard-pressed Colonists from attack by a foe 
more ruthless, more daring, more brutal and 
blood-thirsty than the English with whom 
they contended along the eastern coast. 

"Three times," writes Gilmore, "these 
Pioneers cut the anaconda coil in which 
the British sought to envelop and crush 
the struggling Colonies; but so securely did 
these riflemen hold the mountain passes, 
that during the entire war, no savage band 
succeeded in breaking through to carry the 



Rear Guards. 25 

torch and the tomahawk into the seaboard 
settlements." Thus, then, did these Pio- 
neers prove themselves the ''Rear Guard 
of the Revolution!" 

You see, then, boys and girls of the 
West, you have a right to claim a part of 
the Revolutionary history of our country. 
There was a West even as early as 1775, 
and there were Pioneers; and best of all, 
both had their part in the war, both served 
bravely and well. We are proud that it 
was so; and are ready again — readier now 
than ever — to give three rousing cheers for 
the early Pioneers! 



n^. 



.^''''' 







3 Kaskaskia, 

4 Kings Mour 

5 Charleston 

7 Savannah 
e Watauga. 



The Rear Attacks. 27 



THE REAR ATTACKS. 



yE ALL know when the Revolutionary 
war broke out, and how bravely the 
Colonists up and down the coast 
fought for the liberty of our land. 

We know the excitement that poured 
over the country when the Declaration of 
Independence was rung out from the good 
old Liberty Bell in Philadelphia; and how 
bravely the minute- men fought from the 
first, even to the day when the joyous tid- 
ings rolled up from the South, ''Cornwallis 
surrenders! The British forces are broken! 
Peace is dawning!" 

Now in all this time the Pioneers had 
been growing stronger and stronger; their 
numbers had increased, and in spite of the 
savages, and death, and disease, the settle- 



28 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

ment had prospered. Six hundred vaHant 
patriots had made their homes along the 
Watauga, the Holston, and the Nolhchucky 
rivers. 

There v^ere Tories among them, and from 
the beginning of the war the British kept 
in mind the httle settlement and planned 
attacks upon it. 

It was the British Cameron who first 
gathered the savage chiefs together and 
with bribes and promises and arguments 
aroused them against the Pioneers. 

''They are stealing your lands from you," 
said Cameron; ''do you not see that one 
day they will push you farther and farther 
west till you have no country of your own?" 

At once the Pioneers were up and in 
arms. Runners were sent in all directions; 
outlying settlers were warned, and families 
fled to the forts for protection. Officers 
were elected; companies were formed; and 



The Rear Attacks. 29 

the Pioneers held themselves ready for 
whatever should come. 

It was the plan of Sir Peter Parker, as 
you will recall from your school history, to 
capture Charleston, first of all; for well did 
he understand how advantageous a thmg 
It would be to hold a point so near the 
center of Colonial territory as Charleston; 
and especially one so excellent in harbor 
and outlook over the sea. 

'This point captured, it was his plan to 
land there a large force which from time 
to time he could send out in divisions, up 
and down the country. 

The immediate neighborhood he would 
thus hold in terror; and by continually 
harassing those villages farther away, he 
would easily reduce their power. If nec- 
essary, a campaign should be planned, and 
such tremendous onslaughts be made upon 
the surrounding people that they, paralyzed 



30 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

with fear, would dare offer no further re- 
sistance to the British army. 

That part of the country thus subdued, 
signals should be given to the savages be- 
yond the Alleghanies, who, gathered there 
in waiting, would then, tomahawks in hand, 
burst through the mountain passes, and 
falling upon the already stricken people, 
lay waste the whole vast territory, burning- 
the houses, destroying the corn-fields, and 
murdering the people or driving them into 
the forests to die of hunger and fright. 

This done, the southern colonies, cut off 
from all help, would be subdued; and the 
northern colonies, finding themselves alone, 
surrounded by the foe and bearing the en- 
tire burden of the war, must necessarily 
lay down their arms and surrender to the 
British crown. 

A beautiful plan! Clear and direct, and, 
alas for the Colonists, all too probable! 



The Rear Attacks. 3i 

Our own Washington could not have 
planned more ably; and, indeed, when he 
heard it, his courageous heart sank, and for 
many a weary day, and for many a sleep- 
less night, he awaited to hear of British 
success, which he realized, so fully, might 
come to the ears of the northern Colonists. 

There is an old Scotch saying that "the 
best laid plans o' mice and men gang aft 
agley." 

But Sir Peter, with his English confi- 
dence, never thought of such a possibility; 
but that, you may be sure, was because he 
had never heard of a certain little band of 
Pioneers who dwelt over the mountains 
among those very Cherokees whom he de- 
pended upon for help in carrying out his 
well laid plan. 

The Pioneers, however, had learned of 
Sir Peter, and also of Sir Peter's plans. 



32 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

They were, then, on the alert; and, even 
before Sir Peter had reached Charleston, 
had already plans of their own quite as ex- 
cellent as his, — and it was now a mere mat- 
ter of future history which should succeed. 

Eagerly Sir Peter began his campaign; 
quite as eagerly the Pioneers watched the 
campaign, waiting their own best time. 

So long had the Pioneers dwelt among 
the Cherokees that they were quick to de- 
tect the significance of any and every move- 
ment on the part of the savages. 

Without delay the fort at Watauga was 
garrisoned and supplied with food and 
ammunition. Several small forts were built 
here and there, and one large one, — Fort 
Patrick Henry, as it was called. 

Sir Peter's officers were busy, running 
hither and thither, stirring up the Chero- 
kees to battle and bringing them ammuni- 
tion. 



The Rear Attacks. 



33 



But not a movement escaped the watch- 
ful eye of the Pioneer scouts; and when at 
last the Cherokees were ready, the forts 
were ready too. 




OCONOSTOTA. 



Slowly the long winter dragged on. Day 
after day, Oconosota, the Cherokee chief, 
brooded in silence, Indian councils were 
held, — long, and solemn, and ominous. 
Prayers were offered, incantations sung, 
oracles were consulted, and the old chief 



34 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

awaited in grim silence the signal from Sir 
Peter. 

Now there was, among Oconostota's peo- 
ple, a woman having the gift of prophecy — 
Nancy Ward was her name — and because 
of this gift she held high rank among the 
warriors of her tribe. Even sturdy old Ocon- 
ostota himself seldom dared to oppose her, 
or to scorn her prophetic words; more than 
once great grief had come upon him, and 
always as Nancy Ward had prophesied. 

Most fortunately for the Pioneers, the 
prophetess was their staunch friend; she 
had spent many a comfortable winter be- 
side their warm hearth fires; she had played 
with their little children; she had learned 
to speak their language, and warm was her 
love for the white people who had been so 
kind to her. 

*'I cannot prevent the Cherokees from 
going into battle as they are bid by the big 



The Rear Attacks. 33 

white chief," she said; "but I will watch, 
and I will warn you. Now watch, watch 

with me." 

''We depend upon you," was the reply of 
Sevier, the leader of the Pioneers; and the 
woman fled into the forest. 

Day after day passed by; the Indians 
made no advance. More than once the 
prophetess made her way through the dark 
woods at night to bid the white men watch, 
lest the foe burst upon them. 

-They are ready," she said; *^they wait 
only for the British signal." 

This was welcome help, indeed, to the 
Pioneers; for, brave as they were, they 
knew full well the treachery and barbarity 
of their foe, and were glad of any friend 
who should keep them aware of the ene- 
mies' movements. 

Week after week dragged on. Sir Peter's 
plans were not progressing with quite the 



36 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

speed and ease he had dreamed. But at 
last word came to Oconostota, and at once 
the chief made ready to set out upon his 
ravages. 

Now, the face of the old chief grew 
blacker and blacker, the councils grew 
longer and longer; the Pioneers, warned 
by Nancy Ward, slept upon their arms; at 
any moment the Cherokee warwhoqp might 
burst from the forest. And soon the final 
council was held. The savages arose and 
girded themselves for the march. 

For whole hours Nancy Ward had stood 
beside the tent, crouching in the shadows 
of the trees, listening, listening to the com- 
mands of Oconostota. 

Then, creeping away into the darkness, 
crawling along beneath the bushes until 
safe beyond pursuit, the brave woman sped 
down the valley to the hut of a pioneer 
trapper, not far from Fort Watauga. 



The Rear Attacks. 37 

*'To your arms," she cried, "already 
they are on their way! They come — seven 
hundred strong— Oconostota at their head!" 

And without another word she plunged 
into the forest, made her way back to her 
own wigwam, and crept in unseen, before 
any one of her people had even missed her. 

Without delay the trapper hurried for- 
ward to Fort Watauga. 

"There is but one thing to do," said 
Sevier; "we must go out to meet them. 
Up, boys, and arm for the fray. " 

Scouts were hurried forward in all direc- 
tions; and early in the morning, — July 20, 
1776, only a short time after the signing of 
the Declaration of Independence, and be- 
fore the echoes of the bells had fairly died 
away, — this little band set forth on its first 
raid against the savage hordes, which, but 
for the grand courage of the Pioneers, 
might have rushed to the aid of the British, 



38 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

and so have turned the tide of war against 
the struggHng Colonists. 

It was a bitter time in the history of the 
Revolution. Defeat upon defeat had fol- 
lowed the Colonial army; new forces were 
pouring in from England; already the Brit- 
ish had caused great suffering in the South; 
the Colonists were poorly clothed, scantily 
fed, and sickness had fallen upon them. 



The First Encounter. 39 



THE FIRST ENCOUNTER. 




J\\ FEW miles only had the . Pioneers 
made their way into the forest and 
along the trail, when the advance 
guard fell upon a little band of Indians, the 
advance guard of the Indian warriors. 

In a flash, these Indians turned and fled. 
Sevier's men pursued, but so many were 
the directions in which the redskins scat- 
tered — for they were wise and wary, these 
Cherokees— that the white men could gain 
no clue from their flight as to where the 
main force was in hiding. 

The forest was dense, the trail was diffi- 
cult; and already night was coming on. 

The Pioneers halted and held a council. 
'•We must not go on," said one; "an am- 
buscade may be sprung upon us." 



40 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

"Neither dare we encamp/' said another; 
''There are scouts abroad; and we know 
full well the savage never loses a chance 
to make an early morning attack." 




JOHN SBVIEE. 



"Let US go back then, and make another 
start at daybreak," said Sevier; and the 
army returned. 

But scarcely were they upon their way, 
when ''Whoop! whoop! whoop!" and Drag- 
ging Canoe with his warriors was upon 
them. 



The First Encounter. 41 

The forest echoed with the savage yells! 
Bullets whistled through the air! Torches 
blazed! and the tomahawk and scalping 
knife flashed in the horrid light. 

'The white men run! they run! they 
run!" the savages yelled; ''kill the white 
men! scalp them! scalp them!" 

For a time confusion reigned. No or- 
ders could be given; no commands be 
heard above the savage roar. The lines 
were broken; positions lost; all signals 
failed. Sevier urged on the men on his 
right; those on the left faltered and fell 
back! Some one must take command! 
Not a moment could be lost! The sav- 
ages were upon them! 

Then, with a courage born of heroism, out 
rushed Isaac Shelby, boy though he was, 
and with a shout that rang out even above 
the yells of the savages, called the strug- 
gling men before him, and calling upon 



42 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Moore, Morrison, Edmiston, and Findly, 
the four most daring of his companions, 
together they rushed into the very faces of 
the oncoming savages. 

Crack! crack! crack! vi^ent their five 
rifles. Five red men fell, and the savages, 
confused by the unexpected charge, fell 
back. For a moment, in their confusion 
and childish inability to comprehend, they 
forgot their rifles, their tomahawks, their 
scalping knives, and stood transfixed. And 
in that moment, so precious to the white 
men, the Pioneers rushed forward and 
poured their deadly fire in upon the foe. 

Many savages fell, mowed down by the 
swift bullets from the white men's rifles. 
Then, with a blood-curdling yell, the whole 
force rushed forward and fell upon the 
white men with almost superhuman fury. 

Crack! crack! went the rifles! Not a 
bullet missed its aim, and at last Dragging 



The First Encounter. 43 

Canoe himself, with a howl of pain and 
fury that rang out like the dying yell of a 
maddened beast, fell to the ground and 
was borne away by his men. 

At this, believing their leader dead, the 
courage of the red men failed; panic seized 
them; and like a herd of frightened deer 
they turned and fled. 

It had been a sharp contest; many sav- 
ages lay dead upon the field; but not one 
white man was killed, and only a few were 
severely wounded. 



44 Pioneers of the Revolution. 



TWO BRAVE WOMEN. 



HE savages, angry that in their first 
attack they had been repelled by the 
Pioneers, skulked in the forests and 
watched their opportunity to fall upon the 
people in their homes in the outlying dis- 
tricts. More than once helpless v\^omen and 
children were dragged out from their cabins 
and massacred. And one day, when Eliza- 
beth Bean was busy at her work, a redskin, 
with a whoop and a yell, knowing that she 
was alone, rushed upon her and dragged her 
away to the Indian camp on the Nollichucky. 

''Burn! burn! burn!" yelled the savages 
dancing about her, and building a fire at the 
foot of a tree. ' 'You shall burn ! burn ! burn !" 

The poor woman's heart sank within her. 
She was a brave soul; but there were little 



Two Brave Women. 



45 



children in her home; she loved them and 
they needed her. It was not easy to face 
this terrible death. 

"I will save you," said one of Oconos- 
tota's chiefs; *'but you must tell me first 
four things, that I shall ask. 




NANCY WARD AND ELIZABETH BEAN. 

*'How many forts have your people? 
''How many soldiers are in them? 
'*How much powder have they? 



46 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

"Which forts are strong? which weak? 
Tell me and you shall live." 

The chief stood waiting for her answer. 
But not a word would the brave woman 
speak. Her lips shut tight, and she covered 
her face with her hands. 

"Ready, there," said the angry chief, and 
pointed to the blazing fire. 

"Speak! tell!" yelled the savages; but 
though death lay before her, not one word 
could they force from her that would bring 
harm to her people. 

Just then the prophetess appeared, Her 
eyes shone, and her arms were lifted to- 
wards the heavens. "Harm not this pale- 
faced squaw," she cried. "Harm her not! I 
command you. Listen to the words of the 
Great Spirit." And the savages, supersti- 
tious, ignorant, and frightened, dropped their 
fagots, stepped back and allowed the prophet- 
ess to lead their captive away in safety. 



Two Brave Women. 47 

*'Away, away to your people," whispered 
Nancy Ward; and so the brave woman's 
life was saved, and another kindness done to 
the Pioneers by their good friend, the Indian 
prophetess, — the Pocahontas of Tennessee. 

These were days when danger lurked on 
every side. Even in times of peace, no 
Pioneer dared set forth unarmed. The rifle 
and the tomahawk he carried always with 
him; and on Sabbath when the good old 
pastor rode forth through the forest to his 
little church he bore his trusty rifle and 
over his shoulder was slung his pouch of 
powder. These, when he entered his pul- 
pit, he laid beside him, never forgetting, 
first of all, to kneel and pour forth his grati- 
tude that once more it had been vouchsafed 
to himself and his people to reach their little 
meeting place in peace and safety. Such, in 
these days, was the Sabbath service among 
the Pioneers. 



48 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

But during these days, following the 
defeat of their plans, the savages were creep- 
ing towards Fort Watauga, bent on ven- 
geance. They concealed themselves in the 
swamps and behind the trees. 

' 'Surely they will not attack us again till 
they can gather up their forces," thought 
the people in the fort, for it was well known 
in Indian warfare that usually the white 
people were never so safe as when a battle 
had just been fought. 

And so, believing that there was no imme- 
diate danger, the women had gone out from 
the fort to milk the cows and gather leaves 
and berries. 

The great gates of the fort were open, 
and men were on guard, though all seemed 
quiet and no one expected an attack or 
thought of danger. 

Suddenly, without warning, the air was 
filled with the brutal savage yells. Away, at 



Two Brave Women. 49 

some little distance by herself, was Kather- 
ine Sherrill. 

With a bound the women all sped to- 
wards the gate of the fort. The men have 
heard the yell! The gate is held open! One, 
two, three, — the women have reached the 
fort! All— all but Katherine. She flies, with 
the savages in close pursuit. It is a race for 
life! 

What can be done? Shall the gate be 
held for her? To do that, is to bring the 
pursuing Indians to the open gate as well! 
To close it is to leave her to a cruel fate! 
What can be done? 

''She shall be saved! she shall be saved!" 
cried Sevier, rushing forward single-handed, 
to beat back the twenty savages so close 
upon her. 

**You cannot save her," thundered Rob- 
ertson, seizing the maddened man and hurl- 
ing him back into the fort. 



50 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Then the great gate swung upon its 
hinges; the log was thrown across. Sevier 
sank upon the ground and covered his eyes. 
Katherine was alone outside. 

She had seen the gate close; she under- 
stood; then with a quick turn, and before 
her pursuers could check their speed, she 
had gained a full yard upon them and was 
making toward the lowest place in the pali- 
sades. 

"Up, up, Sevier, " cried the men. ''Up, 
you may save her still! To the palisades! 
Every man with his rifle ! " 

With a bound Sevier leaped upon the 
palisade. On, on, flew the girl, her pur- 
suers close upon her, and filling the air with 
the horrid howls. 

''Bravo, bravo! Katherine," shouted Sev- 
ier; and Katherine, encouraged, sprang 
forward! Rifles snap in the faces of the 
pursuers; and in the moment gained. 



Two Brave Women. 



51 



Sevier drags the brave girl up the paH- 
sade, and she falls fainting into his arms. 

Then the savages raise the yell of rage 
at their defeat. The forest reverberates 
with howl upon howl; the cliffs send back 
the echo; but the little band within the fort 




SEVIER SAVING KATHERINE. 



hardly hear the sound, so grateful are they 
that the brave Katherine is with them once 
more, safe and sound, the strong wall be- 
tween her and the savage foe. 

But now the bullets from the enraged 
savages begin to whiz across the palisade. 



52 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Some fall within the fort. ''Wait till you 
know your man," was Sevier's command; 
''keep close! Show not a hair of your head! 
Shoot to kill, and don't waste your powder!" 

For twenty days the savages lurked about 
the fort; but little hope was there of suc- 
cess for them; the garrison was well pro- 
vided with provisions, and was strongly 
intrenched, and, at last, sullen, and with 
hearts burning for revenge, they crept away 
to the home of Oconostota on the Tellico. 

But little courage had Oconostota, great 
chief though he was, to set out against 
these daring Pioneers. For weeks he sat 
within his wigwam and brooded in sullen 
silence. In vain did Sir Peter await the 
coming of the savages through the mountain 
passes; and although he sent messages, both 
coaxing and threatening, Oconostota could 
not be prevailed upon again to attack the 
forts of Watauga and Patrick Henry. 



Two Brave Women. 53 

Not until after the attack upon Fort 
Moultrie did Oconostota's warriors again 
engage in war against the white men; and 
so we have, in this first service of the Pio- 
neers to the Colonies, a service that saved 
the people; for had St. Peter's scheme been 
successful, had the savages burst through 
the mountain passes and brought war and 
ruin upon the country of the Carolinas, the 
Revolutionary War would have been a story 
very different from the one we now rejoice 
to read. 



54 Pioneers of the Revolution. 



ANOTHER BRITISH SCHEME. 



OR two or three years after this failure 
_ of what some historian calls the ''An- 
aconda scheme, " we know the South 
was left in peace, and that the British gave 
their undivided attention to the North. 

But there came a time again, when, the 
patriots being hard pressed, Sir Henry 
Clinton thought he saw an opportunity to 
carry out the original plan of getting posses- 
sion of the South. 

Now Sir Henry was an energetic man, 
and he believed in dealing with large issues 
in a large way; so he planned that Ham- 
ilton, who was strongly entrenched in De- 
troit, should gather together the savages 
of the Northwest; Stuart and Oconostota 
should marshal the Indians of the South, 



Another British Scheme. 55 

while he himself, meantime, with his own 
troops, should swoop down upon Savannah. 

Savannah taken, then he would summon 
the forces of Hamilton and Oconostota who 
should await his command. These should 
then gather from the North and the South, 
meet, and bursting through the mountain 
passes, swarm over the already subjugated 
southern colonies, lay waste the land in all 
directions, and so stamp out all opposition. 
This done, there could be but one result, — 
the British would win the day. 

This was a plan most excellent. It was 
a plan well worthy of a great general; and 
had it succeeded, would have made Sir 
Henry Clinton's name renowned among 
English generals; and Clinton never thought 
of failure. Hamilton, in his arrogance, 
dreamed not even of resistance. 

It was the 29th of December, 1778, as 
our histories tell us, that Savannah fell, and 



56 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

very easily too, into the hands of the British. 
Now, this wis exactly as Clinton had ex- 
pected, for who knew better than he how 
bravely and hopelessly these Southern Col- 
onists were struggling against the troops of 
England that were pouring in upon their 
little towns. 

Inland posts were at once established. 
Savannah was now open to communication 
with the Indian hordes that lay in wait be- 
yond the hills. 

They had only to march in, receive their 
orders, and then distribute themselves up 
and down the seaboard colonies which Clin- 
ton had already in his grasp. 

Accordingly, Sir Henry Clinton called, 
and the Indians, of course, obeyed. But wait! 
I should say, rather, they started to obey. 

For, you see, again the British general 
made the fatal mistake of reckoning with- 
out his host. There, beyond the Alleghanies, 



Another British Scheme. 57 

lay those self-same Pioneers, still ready to 
block the advance of the oncoming forces 
through the mountains. 

These Pioneers were few in number; and 
it was very likely because of this that Sir 
Henry so overlooked them in his great 
scheme. To a man of his cast of mind, 
it is quite apt to be the case that size and 
number only seem worthy of consideration. 

Hamilton responded readily to the call 
from Clinton, and was only too glad to set 
forth with his chosen six hundred. 

First, he led his men toward Fort Vin- 
cennes. There the garrison was very small; 
and, plucky though the Colonists were, they 
were forced to surrender. Resistance was 
useless; and Hamilton was victorious. 

But these English officers had a danger- 
ous fashion of resting after a victory, re- 
gardless of what might be in store for them. 
And so, when this fort had been taken. 



58 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Hamilton, instead of hurrying on to Kas- 
kaskia on the Mississippi, where his Creek 
and Cherokee ahies were waiting to rein- 
force him, loitered at Vincennes. 

Moreover, he allowed his savages from 
the Northwest to amuse themselves by 
scalping the helpless women and children 
who dwelt in the country round about. 

Now this was an action unworthy of any 
civilized general, and was totally opposed 
to any customs among civilized armies. 

Great was the indignation of the Colo- 
nists when they learned that it was by the 
British general's permission that such bru- 
tality was permitted. Even his brother offi- 
cers condemned him, and when at last he 
fell into the power of George Rogers Clark 
he was tried and imprisoned by the Colo- 
nial Court. Little sympathy was felt for the 
brutal coward, even among his own people. 



George Rogers Clark. 59 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 



^EORGE ROGERS CLARK was a 
^S fiery, energetic patriot, who held the 
Fort at Kaskaskia. When he heard 
that Hamilton had set out from Detroit, he 
reasoned that he would be likely to attack 
Vincennes first, and then march on to Kas- 
kaskia. 

Now, Clark was not the kind of man to 
sit quietly in his fort and await attack. Not 
he! Ambitious, restless, energetic officer 
that he was, he gathered his men together 
and set forth at once to surprise Hamilton 
wherever it might be his good fortune to 
fall in with him. 

And so it came about that one morning, 
early, before the indolent Britishers were 
half awake, Clark, tattered and torn, his con- 



60 



Pioneers of the Revolution. 



tinental regimentals contrasting strangely 
with the smart uniforms of the British, ap- 
peared in Vincennes and demanded imme- 
diate, unconditional surrender of the fort. 

"Who are you," sneered Hamilton, look- 
ing at his ragged uniform, "that you force 
yourself into the presence of a British gen- 
eral?" 




GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 



Clark looked the haughty general straight 
in the face. No cringing, no fear in his pa- 
triotic soul! "I am George Rogers Clark," 
he said coolly; and his voice rang out like a 
clarion call. 



George Rogers Clark. 6i 

Hamilton was startled; for the name of 
this intrepid hero was well known, indeed, 
among the British. A man who, with no 
other equipment than a Deckhard rifle, had 
marched his little band of men fifteen hun- 
dred miles through the unknown wilderness 
of lUinois, had captured the fort of Kaskas- 
kia, and had driven the savages west of 
the Mississippi— such a man was not to be 
scorned, as Hamilton well knew. 

-Onwhat terms?" asked Hamilton, rather 
feebly for a braggart of his reputation. 

' 'Terms!" thundered Clark again. ' 'Terms 
to a scalp-trader! Never! Unconditional 

surrender, or " and he pointed towards 

the forest, where, for all Hamilton knew, 
he held an army ready to burst upon the 

fort. 

Very unwillingly, yet daring no risk with 
such a man as Clark, Hamilton laid down 
his sword, his men stacked their arms, and 



62 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

together they marched out from the fort; to 
find, when too late, that they had surren- 
dered to a Httle squad of one hundred and 
sixty half-starved, half-frozen, ragged, bare- 
footed backwoodsmen! 

Three cheers for the backwoodsmen! 
How they laughed in their ragged sleeves 
when they saw their leader marching the 
crestfallen Hamilton forth from the fort. 

Three cheers for the daring, unflinching 
Clark! Together they had saved the coun- 
try! For when Hamilton was marched off 
to prison, the spirit of his six hundred was 
broken, his forces were scattered, and the 
great Northern scheme dissolved into 
thin air. 



Indians of the Southeast. 63 



THE INDIANS OF THE SOUTHEAST. 



I^O MUCH for the destruction of the 
I northern part of CHnton's great scheme! 
^ Now, what about the South? There 
lay Dragging Canoe, his soul still burning 
for revenge upon the white men who had 
wounded him in battle so many months 
before! 

Oconostota, too, was still smarting under 
the blows his pride had received in the 
Watauga and Fort Patrick Henry defeats. 
And together these two chiefs, with not less 
than fifteen thousand savages, lay waiting 
for Clinton's call to battle. 

Now it happened that Clinton, not wish- 
ing to run the risk of having his plans car- 
ried again, by Nancy Ward, to Watauga, 
where Sevier and Shelby still held the fort. 



64 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

sent the great supply of arms to Dragging 
Canoe at Chickamauga rather than to 
Oconostota. 

Dragging Canoe, tired of his long period 
of waiting, and over-eager to v^reck his ven- 
geance on the v^hite men, took a part of the 
supplies, and set forth upon petty raids up 
and down the country. 

"See here, Shelby," said Sevier, ''those 
Indians have been supplied with powder. 
Something is in preparation." 

'*That powder must be captured," was 
Shelby's brief response. 

And without loss of time, for these Pio- 
neers, as you already know, were not loi- 
terers, the whole force of backwoodsmen was 
summoned, and preparations were mafde 
for the journey to Chickamauga. 

Now this was a daring attempt on the 
part of these Pioneers; for no one of them 
had ever traveled so far south, and they 



Indians of the Southeast. 65 

knew little of the river down which they 
must make their way. Of Chickamauga 
they knew nothing, except that it was high 
up among the cliffs and was said to be un- 
assailable. 

Nevertheless, every man was ready to 
set forth even on this perilous journey; and 
at once the brave Pioneers set to work. 

Great trees must first be felled and hol- 
lowed out for boats, rafts must be built, and 
poles must be cut and fashioned into oars; 
and all this must be done without the 
knowledge of the savages. 

Scouts, therefore, were sent out in all 
directions to keep watch lest any Indian 
spy should approach. For should one see 
the Pioneers at work building a fleet of 
boais and rafts, he would arouse the whole 
tribe to self-defense. 

Very rapidly, and as silently too as pos- 
sible, the Pioneers worked away in the forest 



66 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

riverside; and in a few days the rude little 
boats were ready. 

Provisions and powder were loaded upon 
the rafts, and the men took their places at 
the oars. 

It was not until darkness had fallen that 
they set forth, lest the savages should dis- 
cover them. Not a word did they speak; 
but, still as death, took their places in the 
boats, dipping their oars softly lest even 
the splash of the water should catch the 
quick ear of the savage. Slowly and care- 
fully they made their way down the strange 
river. When day began to break, each little 
boat found for itself a shelter beneath the 
bushes that overhung the shore, and the 
men landed and crept into dense coverts in 
the forest to hide until again dark night 
should come. 

At night they again crept out, took their 
places in their boats, and paddled on again. 



Indians of the Southeast. 67 

Sometimes the river grew black and deep 
and wide, and the oarsmen could only drift 
with the current; sometimes it was narrow 
and shallow and rocky, and full of danger- 
ous rapids. More than once the little log 
boats were caught, whirled round and round, 
and dashed against the black rocks. 

Once, at midnight, a roar of falling water 
fell upon the ears of the little company; the 
current grew strong and rapid; one boat 
dashed against a great rock around which 
the black waters were swirling. 

Hardly had the men time to turn their 
canoes! For a moment, the oars were 
powerless; the raft anchors dragged; and 
like mere chips they were drawn along by 
the strong current. 

*'To the shore! to the shore!" was Sev- 
ier's hoarse command. ' 'There is a water- 
fall below! Pull! pull for your lives!" And 
the strong men did pull. It was a strug- 



68 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

gle for life. There in the still darkness, 
not daring to speak nor to flash their light 
across the water to guide them in the dan- 
gers, they struggled against the sweep- 
ing torrent; for just below them, lay an 
angry, rocky whirlpool and over against 
it, like Scylla and Charybdis, sharp rocks 
against which the water foamed and seethed, 
then threw itself with a rush and roar over 
the cliffs below. 

Early, before the morning light had pen- 
etrated the dense forests, the men carried 
their boats along the shores to a safe place 
below the falls, over which they had been 
so nearly swept in the darkness, and hid 
them in the bushes. 

But even in the forests there was danger. 
They dared not build camp fires, lest the 
smoke attract the attention of some roam- 
ing scout. They dared not shoot at the 
panthers and wolves that howled by day as 



Indians of the Southeast. 69 

well as by night, lest the sound bring the 
scouts upon the scene. A few men must 
stand on watch to keep off as best they 
could these foes, but little less blood-thirsty 
than the savage tribes of Oconostota and 
Dragging Canoe. 

In this way, and amid these dangers, our 
brave Pioneers made their way down the 
unknown river; till at last, one morning, just 
at daybreak, they found themselves beneath 
the great cliffs that form the natural fortress 
of Chickamauga. 

Like great giants these dark cliffs stood 
out against the gray sky, their black fronts 
grim and threatening in the dim light of the 
early morning. 

Not a word did the men dare speak. Just 
beyond those cliffs — they knew not in what 
direction — and it might be directly overhead 
— lay the camp o' the savage horde. One 
false step, and all even now, might be 



70 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

lost. It was a decisive moment; greater 
dangers than rocks or whirlpools or water- 
falls were now before them. Victory or 
death was now close at hand. 

Most cautiously, two men crept along the 
shore under cover of the deep shadow. If 
only they might know the direction of the 
camp, and so waste neither time nor oppor- 
tunity. 

They reached the top of the cliffs. They 
peered in every direction. They listened. 
But no wigwam fires were visible; no sound 
save the rustling of the leaves broke the 
stillness. 

But, look! that dark object beneath the 
tree! It crouches, it moves! Watch; it 
creeps behind the low bush near by! Is it a 
wolf, a panther? It maybe an Indian spy! 
Not an instant is to be lost! Rifles in hand 
the two men rushed forward, and the scout, 
for it is a scout, finding escape impossible, 



Indians of the Southeast. 71 

falls upon his knees and begs for his life. 
Was there ever such good fortune? For 
here was one of Oconostota's own warriors, 
and one who, w^ithout doubt, might be made 
to lead the white men inland, straight to the 
very camp. 

''Quick, quick, my boys," said Sevier; 
rifles ready! Not a sound remember, till we 
are upon them. Ready! Follow!" 

Then up the river bank, along the cliffs, 
across the plain they crept, the red man 
leading, — straight into the sleeping camp. 

With a yell, — the Tennessee yell, — than 
which the yell of the savages themselves 
was scarcely more terrible, — the backwoods- 
men burst upon the wigwams. The sleeping 
warriors staggered to their feet. They stood 
for a moment, dazed. Then, with a howl 
of terror, they turned, to a man, and fled. 

Bang! bang! bang! went the rifles of the 
white men; and the savages answered with 



72 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

yells and shrieks. On, into the great 
swamps they rushed, the white men in hot 
pursuit. Panic stricken, the savages had 
not even taken their guns; and now, driven 
from their camp, unarmed and helpless, 
they fled to the forests and into the 
marshes, where, sinking into the soft mire, 
they struggled and many lost their lives. 

Others, terror stricken, fled to the jun- 
gles; and there amid the wild beasts which 
they feared less than the cracking rifle, they 
crouched in terror. 

''They will not dare come out," said 
Sevier; ''so we are safe to do our work at 
leisure." Guards then were placed around 
the supply of ammunition with which the 
camp had been provided, and deliberate 
preparation was made for firing the village 
and the corn-fields. 

The powder and the fire-arms were gath- 
ered up and carried down to the boats; 



Indians of the Southeast. 73 

torches were applied to the huts, and at 
the close of day not one vestige of the 
strong Chickamauga encampment remained 
save acres of smoldering ruin. 

Not a measure of meal for food; not an 
ounce of powder had the savages left to 
them, when, a day or so later, they began 
to creep from the forests and the jungles. 

This was a grand triumph for the Pio- 
neers, for a deathblow had been struck to 
any immediate organization, by the British, 
of the savage forces against the Colonists. 

And when the Pioneers, with boats and 
rafts loaded with corn and ammunition, 
rowed up the river, they knew full well that 
for one year at least, there would be no 
trouble from the savages of the South. 
They could not hunt without ammunition; 
they could not live without game; nor could 
the British, who were now as good as im- 
prisoned at Savannah, bring them any aid. 



74 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Again the great scheme of the British com- 
mander had been thwarted, and the colonies 
were secure from attack from the Western 
savages. Again the Pioneers, the back- 
woodsmen, had saved their country and 
their people. 



AGAIN TO THE FRONT. 75 



PIONEERS AGAIN TO THE FRONT. 




YEAR of peace for the frontier people 
followed this destruction of the plans 
of the great Clinton. Clark, encour- 
aged by his success at Vincennes, easily 
inspired his followers to march on and cap- 
ture the British posts in Illinois and along 
the Wabash; Governor Hamilton, still in 
prison, had no opportunity to stir up the 
Northern Indians; and Dragging Canoe 
and his tribes could not even move from 
Chickamauga till corn had been planted and 
harvested to provide for the needs of the 
coming winter. 

But whatever else we may think of the 
British proceedings during the Revolution- 
ary war, we must admit that they were not 
lacking in perseverance. For no sooner had 



76 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Clinton's forces and his allies recovered from 
their embarrassment, than another and still 
greater scheme was planned and hurried 
into execution. 

Having taken possession of Charleston, 
Clinton sent one force to Augusta, another 
to Ninety-Six, and another, under Corn- 
wallis, to scatter a body of patriots whom 
he had been informed were gathering for 
mischief on the borders of North Carolina. 

These posts taken, then the three bodies 
of men were to sweep up over North Caro- 
lina and Virginia. Forming then a junction 
with the New York forces, the whole coun- 
try south of the Hudson would thus be 
enclosed by British. 

For a time all went well. The patriots of 
South Carolina, filled as the colony was with 
Tories, contended bravely but very feebly; 
and the colony, from seaboard to mountain, 
was soon patrolled by British soldiers. 



Again to the Front. 17 

The patriots, among them were Sumter 
and Marion, were driven over the hnes and 
into the swamps and morasses of North 
Carohna. Already South CaroHna and 
Georgia were spoken of as ''the lost prov- 
inces, " cut off as they were from any north- 
ern aid. 

Dark, dark days were these for the 
patriots, both North and South. Forces 
under Ferguson were still pouring in upon 
the yet undevastated parts of South Caro- 
lina; and every day hope for North Caro- 
lina, and even for Virginia, grew less and 
less. At this crisis, messengers were dis- 
patched to Sevier and Shelby to come to 
the rescue. 

Already the Cherokees and Creeks were 
again planning attacks upon the frontier 
settlement; still, gathering together such 
forces as the little western forts could 
spare, these men hurried forward over the 



7S Pioneers of the Revolution. ' 

mountains to join the patriots on the sea- 
board. 

' ' Before two days had passed, " said the 
British Ferguson, "I knew some new force, 
some new hfe, or some new commander, 
had changed utterly the spirit of the pa- 
triots." For the ''Watauga boys" had not 
come to dally; neither could their restless, 
energetic souls wait the movements of the 
British. They had come to attack; not 
merely to defend; and very soon the British 
army found it was they rather than the pa- 
triots who needed to "watch out." 

One Colonel Moore, who had kept his 
men in practice by sending them forth daily 
to plunder and murder the defenseless 
women and children, in the outskirts, was 
surprised one morning at daybreak by a 
most emphatic demand from Shelby that 
he surrender his fort, stack his arms, and 
march out. 



Again to the Front. 79 

The crackling of the rifles of these back- 
woodsmen was not a pleasant sound to 
English ears; and Moore, although he had 
a strong garrison and was well equipped, 
obeyed without even an attempt at self- 
defense. So much was accomplished to- 
wards the defeat of the British! 

Immediately Ferguson sent Major Dunlap 
in pursuit of Shelby, and a fierce battle fol- 
lowed. Col. Elijah Clark and Shelby both 
fought like mad men, and Dunlap was made 
to retreat. Another victory scored to the 
backwoodsmen. 

Then Ferguson himself pursued. But 
Shelby, leading his men up a steep hill, 
awaited the coming of the British general. 

When at last Ferguson reached the foot 
of the hill, the Watauga boys were ready 
with their unerring rifles; and a most hearty 
invitation to battle did they pour down upon 
the British. 



80 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

But battle from below was not according 
to Ferguson's taste; and stung by the jeers 
of the "ignorant backwoodsmen" as he was 
pleased to call our brave men, he drew off 
his forces, swearing vengeance on the whole 
American army. 

Ferguson then encamped some twenty-six 
miles from Smith's Ford; and it was only a 
mile beyond that a band of Tories had also 
encamped; a band, who, so Shelby thought, 
were dangerous to the people round about, 
and who, therefore, should be routed. 

This, with Ferguson so near by, was not 
an easy matter to arrange. But with Shelby, 
as with George Rogers Clark, if an attack 
was necessary the attack was made. 

Accordingly, at sunset, Shelby's men set 
out, keeping under cover of the forests. 

At daybreak the little force presented 
itself before the breastworks of the Tories 
camp, sent forward twenty-five men to 



Again to the Front. 81 

allure the enemy out, then awaited the mo- 
ment to open fire. 

The British charged with their bayonets 
upon the twenty-five, who slowly retreated 
toward the breastwork behind which Shelby 
lay concealed, making as they retreated 
great show of fighting. 

"Don't fire, boys," commanded Shelby, 
* 'till you can count their buttons. " 

The British came nearer and nearer; 
Shelby's men raised themselves upon 
their knees, rifles in hand. ''Ready, 
boys! Fire!" 

Out blazed the rifles. The air for a sec- 
ond was filled with the whizz of the bullets. 
The British commander fell. The redcoats 
fought fiercely to hold their ground, but 
bayonets were of little avail against the 
cracking rifles; and after a hot, quick con- 
test, they turned and fled. The Pioneers, 
giving their own wild Tennessee yell, 



82 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

jumped over the breastworks and followed 
in hot pursuit. 

Over hills and plains, across the fields 
and down the valleys the redcoats ran, 
Shelby and his men close upon their heels, 
rifles snapping and men falling at every 
step. And not until the ford was reached 
did the backwoodsmen give up the chase, 

''Let us go back for our horses," said 
Shelby, ''and then on and after them 
again! On horseback we can overtake the 
scoundrels before their scare is over." 

But just then a shout! There's a horse- 
man hurrying across the plain! It is not a 
Britisher — that Shelby knows by his dress; 
and the little company hurry forth to meet 
him. 

Breathless, the messenger rides up to 
Shelby and gives into his hands a paper 
on which is stamped the patriot gover- 
nor's seal. One glance, and "To the moun- 



AGAIN TO THE FRONT. 83 

tains! to the mountains, boys!" Shelby cries, 
"Fly! fly! the game is up!" 

Away the little army flew, and in a few 
hours were safe within the shelter of the 
hills; for a great British victory had taken 
place, and there was for a time no hope for 
the Colonists or for the Pioneers within the 
provinces. 

"Never mind, boys," said Shelby, cheer- 
fully, "We've bothered them well. Now 
we'll rest a little, and be ready again when 
a good time comes." 

It was well the little band made haste. 
Already Ferguson had heard of their morn- 
ing caper and was in hot pursuit. On, on, 
they flew, Ferguson gaining upon them at 
every minute. 

But the Alleghames were reached. One 
offlcer hurried the British prisoners forward 
into the mountains; Shelby took the trail to 
Watauga, while Colonel Clark, who was 



84 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

with them in this expedition, turned south- 
ward, riding straight into the face of the 
enemy. ''We shall gain nothing," he said 
to his loyal followers, "but there's time to 
harass the British a little more, I believe, 
before we leave the country." 

So down swooped Clark upon Augusta. 
One British officer he succeeded in shutting 
up in a fort, with neither food nor water; a 
band of savages he routed and sent them 
howling with fright down the valley; indeed, 
a few hours more, and Augusta would have 
been in his hands, so quickly and so success- 
fully did he move. 

But now the British under Ferguson were 
upon him. ''All right, boys," he said, 
"we've done all we can! Now, to the 
mountains! Away! Away!" 

"Alas, the prospect is most gloomy," 
wrote Washington at this time; "the storm is 
raging, and I have almost ceased to hope." 



The Battle or King's Mountain. 85 



THE BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN. 



[nT)UT these brave men had little more 
than reached their homes when a 
message came to them from Fergu- 
gon, saying: 

"Unless the over-mountain rebels desist from their 
oppositions to the British arms, I, Ferguson, will march 
my forces down into the country of these rebels, hang- 
the leaders, and lay the whole territory waste with fire 
and sword." (Signed) Ferguson. 

Now Ferguson was only a few miles south 
of Watauga on the sea-board side, and it 
was probable that he intended to carry out 
his threat. No one could be sure, at any 
rate, so our brave Pioneers thought, and 
they believed an immediate march against 
him would be altogether best. "It would 
teach him not to make threats; and it would 
teach him, since he seems not already to 



86 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

know, that the spirit of the backwoodsmen 
brooks no insult, " they said. < 

Without an hour's delay, messengers were 
sent in all directions, east, west, north, 
south, the whole length of the valley, and 
every patriot was summoned to gather at 
the Sycamore Shoals, armed for battle. 

With speed known only among such loyal 
souls as these, the men, both young and 
and old, hurried to the place of meeting. 

Few knew even why they had been sum- 
moned; nor had they asked to know. Sev- 
ier had called; some danger was at hand; 
and without question the brave men obeyed. 

Beneath the great trees at Sycamore 
Shoals they assembled — it was a grand, 
heroic scene — one that every boy and girl 
who claims a part in the old Pioneer days 
should glory in. The children of the Min- 
ute Men have no richer legacy of heroism. 
For so eager were these Pioneers, even 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 87 

the boys among them, to join the forces 
and march against the British foe, that Sev- 
ier was forced to resort to a drafting scheme. 
To decide who must go into battle? Not 
so? There were no such Pioneers in that 
Httle band! It was a draft to compel a part 
of these eager patriots to stay at home. 
For the Indians, it was believed, were be- 
ginning to prepare for action. A few single 
frays had already taken place; and there 
was possible danger. Some must remain in 
possession of the forts and protect the 
homes. 

*'Ifwe are successful," said Sevier, '*we 
shall be back in this valley again in a month; 
until then, even though the Indians should 
attack Watauga, they can be held back 
until we can join you in battle against them." 

As few men were left as would barely suf- 
fice, for all were needed for this expedition 
against Ferguson; and on the i8th of Sep- 



88 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

tember, eight hundred and forty of the 
strong, daring patriots set out for the march 
over the mountains to surprise the British 
officer who had dared to threaten them. 

Once the British would have scorned 
these most unmihtary looking men, with 
their buckskin trousers and homespun 
shirts, and the buck-tails in their hats in 
place of the gaudy English tassels; but the 
British had learned long ago in their fights 
with the Minute Men, and more recently 
with the Pioneers, that some men can fight 
without uniforms and nodding plumes. 

So when Ferguson heard that these 
rudely-equipped backwoodsmen had come 
to challenge him to battle, rather than wait 
for him to come to them, he thought it 
worth while to summon the every best mili- 
tary tactics he knew. 

Cornwallis was only eighty miles away; 
and while Ferguson, who, to his credit be 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 89 

it said, was one of the bravest and clearest 
headed of all the British officers that ever 
came to America by order of the English 
king, did not mean to flee to Cornwallis for 
protection, still he thought it worth while to 
break up camp and betake himself in that 
direction as soon as possible. 

The Pioneers started in pursuit. It was 
but little trouble to follow the trail, and at 
last they came upon the British officer with 
his troops drawn up on a ridge of land, only 
about sixty feet high to be sure, but with 
steep sides covered with a heavy growth of 
timber. 

At the top of this ridge were masses of 
ledge rock, behind which the British could 
well conceal themselves. Then, too, the 
trees made excellent hiding places from 
which to fire upon an approaching foe. 

Ferguson could not easily have found a 
place more secure from attack. 



90 



Pioneers of the Revolution. 



Then, too, the backwoodsmen were tired, 
drenched by heavy rains, and half starved 
as well. It is a wonder they had courage to 
make the attempt, brave as they were. But 




1^ 



LORD CORNWALLIS. 



this was what they had marched these hun- 
dreds of miles for, and not one in all the 
little company but was ready for immediate 
battle, now that the enemy was at hand. 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 9i 

Sevier looked the field over. *'It couldn't 
be worse, boys," he said, grimly, "and there 
is just one hope for us. Are you ready?" 

"Ready," answered every man in the 
company. 

"We must surround that hill, and attack 
the British from all sides at once. Our hope 
lies in the suddenness of our rush upon 
them., and in the confusion that we hope will 
follow. 

"Now take heed! I will lead the right 
wingl Cleveland and Williams will lead the 
left! Shelby and Campbell shall bring up 
the rear with the center, and in that way 
we surround the ridge. Forward! March!" 
One spring! the hill was reached! "Yell, 
boys, yell!" shouted Sevier; and the Tennes- 
see yell rang out opon the air. Yell on yell, 
like the whoop of Indians! The forests re- 
sounded with it! The echoes rolled it back! 
The British felt their courage waver, for well 



92 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

had they come to know what kind of men 
these were who rushed to battle with a yell 
that rivaled the Indian whoop. 

"The yelling fiends!" said De Peyster, 
Ferguson's second in command. 

''Courage," thundered Ferguson, not 
waiting to philosophize. 

"Charge bayonet!" 

Down upon Campbell came the regulars 
with fixed bayonets! Down upon Shelby 
came the Tories, armed with glittering 
knives. 

Campbell fell back. Shelby fell back. In 
a moment came from both commanders, 
"Halt! Reload! Ready now! At them 
again! On, boys, on!" — and up the two 
divisions sprang again, pouring their deadly 
fire from their never erring rifles, straight 
into the hearts of the British. 

Sevier, too, was holding the British on 
his side. "Steady, boys, fire!" he cried. 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 93 

"Every man his own commander! Re- 
member there are Tories here to be killed! 
Fire as fast as you can load! Make every 
bullet tell! Get behind the trees if you 
must! Retreat if you must, but don't run 
away! Now, on! on! Make every Tory 
bite the dust!" 

Step by step, the men of Sevier gained 
the hillside. Up, up, they crept, beating 
back and felling to the ground the resisting 
British. 

"Now, boys! another rush, and the hill 
is ours! On, boys, to victory!" 

A yell and the summit was reached. 
"Now at them! Single out your man! 
Waste not a shot!" 

And now the ridge was encircled with 
fire! The British were charging down the 
sides! The patriots were retreating, reload- 
ing, and again rushing forward with fresh 
volleys of deadly fire ! 



94 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

The smoke was blinding! The din was 
terrible, and the yells of the patriots rent 
the air. So rapid was the firing that the 
British could not be made to charge. 
Packed so close together upon the little 
ridge, there was little need to take aim, so 
sure were the patriots of the effect of every 
bullet. 

Then came the cry, "Tarleton is upon 
us! Tarleton is upon us!" 

At this Campbell's men turned and fled 
in sudden panic. Sevier's quick eye saw 
the movement. In an instant, leaving his 
men, he sprang down the mountain side and 
pursued the frightened soldiers. 

''Back, back!" he thundered, "Tarleton 
is not upon us! and if he were, shall we' give 
up the battle just as victory is ours! Back! 
back! every brave man of you! Five min- 
utes! Another charge, and the day is ours! 
Now, with me, boys! On! On to victory." 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 



95 



And, held by the wonderful power of the 
man, the troops turned back. Another yell 
that made the skies reverbrate, and they 
were up the hillside again! Again the Brit- 




FIGHT OF KING'S MOUNTAIN. 

ish charged! But of the brave line, only six 
were spared the rifle shots, and these six, 
courage gone, fled back to the protection of 
their commander. 



96 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

Then the Tories ran up a white flag. 
''Down with that flag!" thundered Ferguson, 
and he leveled it with one blow of his sword. 

' 'To go on is simply a waste of life, " said 
De Peyster. Waste, then, " was Ferguson's 
reply. "Never will I surrender to these 
beasts of the forest." 

A little later he saw there was no hope; 
spurring his horse straight through the ranks 
of Sevier's men, he rushed down the hill. 

"It is Ferguson! It is Ferguson!" yelled a 
backwoodsman; and in a second no less than 
five rifle balls had struck him. With a groan 
he rolled from the back of his horse, and fell 
dead at the foot of the hill he had so bravely 
defended. De Peyster at once ordered up 
the white flag. All hope was lost, and 
Shelby rode forward to receive the surren- 
dered sword of the British commander. 

Thus ended one of the fiercest battles 
known in American history. On that blood- 



The Battle of King's Mountain. 97 

stained ridge lay the dead bodies of more 
than two hundred British and as many more 
were wounded. 

Only twenty-eight patriots had fallen, and 
only a few were wounded. 

Remaining only to bury their dead, the 
little band, worn out with their terrible 
day's work, now set out upon their home- 
ward march. 

Tarleton, who soon heard of the victory, 
fled from the line of the patriots' march. 
Cornwallis, too, was alarmed. With Fer- 
guson killed, he had lost one of his ablest 
captains. He, too, avoided battle with 
these wild men of the mountains, whose 
very yell struck terror to the heart of the 
British. 

The battle of King's Mountain was the 
turn in the tide — ''the turn," as Jefferson 
said, that "terminated the Revolutionary 
war, and set the seal to our independence,*' 



98 Pioneers of the Revolution. 



INDIAN WARS. 



n 




ND now that all was done that could 
be done by this brave band of pa- 
triots, Sevier's next thought was to 
get his men across the mountain as fast as 
they could go. Some one of the British 
officers would set off upon his track, of 
course; for no such affair as this victory at 
King's Mountain would be allowed to pass 
unavenged. 

And then, too, it was only too probable 
that the little fort at home might be need- 
ing help. For Sevier knew the ways of 
the savages well enough to know that when 
news reached them of the departure of him- 
self and his men; they would lose no time 
in preparing an expedition against the little 
fort and the outlying villages. 



Indian Wars. 99 

Sevier had now been absent twenty days; 
and even at their best it w^ould be seven or 
eight days more before his wounded and ex- 
hausted men could reach their homes again. 

'*We must cross the Catawba," said he to 
his officers, "let come what will. Nor is 
there a moment to delay. Already the 
waters are rising from the heavy storms, 
and to be storm-stayed on this side of the 
river is to be overtaken. This must not be. 
We are in no condition for another battle." 

Every man understood; and a hurried 
march was commenced without delay. It 
was 2 o'clock in the morning when they 
reached what had been a shallow place in 
the river, and easily fordable. But now, 
even here, the water was dark and stormy, 
and in the distance the tired men could hear 
the roaring of the on-coming flood. 

' 'No choice, my boys, " said Sevier, plung- 
ing into the water. ' 'Neither Whig nor Tory 



100 



Pioneers of the Revolution. 



will cross this river four hours from now. " 
And with this doubtful encouragement the 
little band, with the prisoners and horses, 
followed their leader. 




CROSSING THE FORD. 



''Now, British officers," said Sevier, when 
all were safely across, and stood shaking 
themselves like great Newfoundland dogs, 
''come on, follow us if you can!" 



Indian Wars. loi 

Fires were built, food was cooked — such 
as they had — and the men gathered around 
the welcome blaze to warm and dry them- 
selves. 

But such luxury was not to be theirs for 
long! ''Boys, "was Sevier's next call, when 
the men were warmed and dried, and rested 
and fed, "there's a little fort, and some farm 
houses, and some women and children over 
across these hills; they may be needing you 
and me even now. Three weeks we have 
been away, and we know only too well that 
savages are not the foes that meets us in 
equal battle. How many of you are able to 
take up the march at once and hurry to the 
rescue. The sick and wounded must follow 
slowly ; but a few of us, I believe, can march 
ahead. " Never were soldiers of braver spirit 
than this! Hardly had Sevier called, ''Come 
forward," than nearly every man dragged 
himself to his feet. 



102 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

The tears started to Sevier's eyes for this 
brave man was not of that brutal type of 
warrior that loves war for the sake of mur- 
der and rapine. "God bless you, my brave 
boys," said he. "If Ferguson had led such 
soldiers as you, we should have had a 
tougher battle at King's Mountain." 

And then, selecting from the volunteers 
those who seemed most fit to take up the 
march again, Sevier set out across the hills 
to Watauga. 

Not a day too early were they in their 
arrival. At his home Sevier found a fur 
trader, who had been sent by their old, 
true friend, the half Indian, Nancy Ward, 
to warn the white people that Oconostota 
was preparing for immediate war. Already 
the women and children were gathered 
into the fort, where brave Robertson had 
made the defense as strong as possible. 
Still in the battle-stained and ragged buck- 



Indian Wars. i03 

skin suit, Sevier listened to the story of the 
fur trader; while his wife, the brave girl, 
who, you remember, scaled the palisades, 
just saving herself from the Indian scalping 
knife, brought him food and hot drink. 

"A long day since I have not been hun- 
gry, Kate, " said he, as cheerfully as if starv- 
ation were not an unpleasant feature of 
warfare. 

"There must not be an hour's delay," 
was Sevier's decision when the fur trader 
had told his story. ' 'The savages will come 
in a body to French Broad River, " he said, 
thinking aloud. ''Crossing that, they will 
break up into small attacking parties and 
will burn the settlements up and down the 
whole valley. We must prevent that. Kate, 
that dinner has given me new life. I shall 
set out at once. Boys, are you ready?" 

And so after no less than twenty- eight 
days of hard marching, Sevier and his one 



104 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

hundred set off again into the forest to meet 
the on-coming of the thousand savages led 
by Dragging Canoe. 

All night long and all the next day these 
men marched. 

"Waste no time, boys; give them no time 
to scatter!" was Sevier's one call to his men. 

At nightfall a band of twenty savages 
were discovered creeping up a hillside, 
''tire!" And upor» them burst such a vol- 
ley of rifle shot, that with a yell, the whole 
twenty turned and fled. 

"Nollichucky Jack! Nollichucky Jack!" 
was all they were able to gasp when they 
reached their camp where Dragging Canoe 
sat sullenly awaiting the news these scouts 
should bring. 

Now, Nollichucky Jack meant Sevier; and 
brave as was Dragging Canoe, and bitterly 
as he longed for revenge, the name was not 
a welcome one to him. It would have been 



Indian Wars. io5 

far easier to have made their attack upon 
the white people before the return of this 
daring leader. 

Dragging Canoe's face grew black. Im- 
mediately he gave his command to desert 
camp and retreat to a more favorable hiding 
place. 

At daybreak Sevier set forward again 
upon his march. "Be on the alert, boys. 
There is some snare set for us, else we 
would have been attacked in the night. 
They are in wait somewhere for us. Watch 
sharp." Very carefully the little company 
moved forward, Sevier with a small band, 
riding ahead. Suddenly, in the tall swamp 
grass he came upon them, crouching in a 
semi-circle near the trail, ready to surround 
the advancing party. 

"Here they are, boys! Fire! Fire! Re- 
treat and fire!" And away Sevier rushed 
to hurry forward the main division. 



106 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

With whoops and yells the red men 
sprang from the grass and fell upon the ad- 
vance guard. 

A moment and Sevier and his men v^ere 
in the thickest of the fight. A part of the 
the little company v^heeled right, a part 
left. Sevier himself rushed into the midst 
of the battle. Suddenly the savages real- 
ized that they themselves were surrounded, 
and with one yell that filled the wilderness, 
they turned and fled. 

* 'Charge!" thundered Sevier, and spring- 
ing upon their horses, the men, Sevier rid- 
ing on ahead, plunged into, the forest in 
rapid pursuit. The panic-stricken Indians 
stumbled and fell upon each other. Drag- 
ging Canoe, finding himself overtaken in 
the deep mud and tangled grasses, turned 
upon Sevier and fired. The ball grazed 
the leader's hair; but before Dragging 
Canoe could fire again, Sevier rushed upon 



Indian Wars. 



107 



him. A terrible hand to hand contest 
followed. The great brute strength of 
Dragging Canoe was by no means easy to 




SEVIER AND DRAGGING CANOE. 



overcome. Sevier parried his heavy blows; 
again and again Dragging Canoe sprang 
forward, tomahawk in hand. It was a ter- 



108 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

rible moment; hand to hand, and face to 
face they fought; Dragging Canoe threw 
his great weight full upon his foe; just then 
a rifle ball came whizzing through the air, 
and Dragging Canoe staggered and fell. 

''Not a second too soon, " gasped Sevier, 
as his deliverer came riding up; "another 
moment and the brute would have toma- 
hawked me. But let us forward!" and away 
both men rushed in full pursuit of the 
routed foe. Nor did thev give up the bat- 
tle till the Indians had been driven beyond 
the slope. 

"And now, " said Sevier, when they had 
returned to their camp; "let us follow up 
this victory with an attack on the Creeks 
and Cherokees. We shall suffer no harm 
from the Chickamaugas for a time, at any 
rate." 

Already Sevier had been reinforced by 
the brave men who had followed more 



Indian Wars. io9 

slowly over the Alleghanies; for, exhausted 
as they were when they reached Watauga, 
they had lost no time in hurrying on to 
overtake the band who were already driv- 
ing back the savages, 

Before word could be carried to the thou- 
sand redskins posted at Echota, Sevier was 
upon them. Without attempt at self- 
defense, this thousand fled into the moun- 
tains, frightened at the sudden appearance 
of a foe they had supposed to be hundreds 
of miles away. 

Burning the Indian villages, now left un- 
protected, destroying the corn and cattle, 
the white men pressed on into the very 
heart of the Cherokee territory. These, 
too, fled before their approach; for of what 
use, thought they, could it be to contend 
against this great advancing army, who 
burned the villages and slew their foes on 



110 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

every side, and drove before them their ter- 
rified prisoners. 

On, on, past Chattanooga, where Tories 
were herded with the Indians, the victori- 
ous army advanced, and everywhere the 
enemy fled before them. Everywhere their 
path was marked by fire and destruction. 
Even into Georgia, Sevier pushed his way. 
Panic had seized the savages; superstition 
and fear had parlyzed them. Only a few 
days ago they had been summoned to at- 
tack the forts and villages because Sevier 
was away in the East fighting the British; 
now he or his spirit was upon them, burn- 
ing their villages and slaying their people. 
Already fifty villages had been destroyed, 
and thousands of savages had been driven 
homeless into the wilderness. 

Creeks, Cherokees, and Chickamaugas, 
all were attacked and put to flight, and 
they was safe from them now, at least 



Indian Wars. ill 

until crops could again be raised and the 
harvests gathered. 

On Sevier's return north he gathered 
certain of the savages together and ad- 
dressed them:^ 

' 'Chiefs and warriors, we came into your 
country to fight your young men. We have 
killed many and we have destroyed your 
villages. It was you who began the war by 
listening to the bad counsels of the English 
king and the falsehoods told you by his offi- 
cers. But if now you desire peace, and we 
understand you do, out of pity for your 
women and children we will make a treaty 
with you. You must send six of your men 
to meet our agent, Major Martin, at the 
Great Island within two moons. If your 
women and children will take refuge on 
the Great Island, we will give them food 
to keep them alive. 



i=See Kirks "Rear-Guards of the Revolution." 



112 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

''Warriors, listen! If we receive no an- 
sv^er to this, wq thall conclude you are still 
our enemies. Then v^e shall send another 
and a larger force into your country, and it 
vv^ill remain until it has taken possession of 
it as a conquered country, nor shall we 
make you any compensation." 

Very willingly the broken savages made 
their peace with the white men; prisoners 
were exchanged, and comparative peace 
reigned once more beyond the Alleghanies. 

But Cornwallis, who was now recovering 
from his fear of being pursued and attacked 
by the backwoodsmen, since he had learned 
that they were in their own valley fighting 
the savages, had already retraced his line 
of march and was preparing his descent 
upon the southern colonies. Moreover, in 
order that the backwoodsmen might still 
be kept busy with the savages, British em- 
issaries had been sent over the mountains 



Indian Wars. 113 

to arouse the Erati Indians, a tribe who 
thus far had not attacked Watauga. 

Old Oconostota had refused to join in the 
treaty of peace, and he, too, was kindled 
anew by these British emissaries. 

There was no general attack upon the 
white men, for the savages had not joined 
forces; but every day some little farm house 
was burned and its inmates murdered;" 
farmers were shot down while at work in 
their fields, and little children were stolen 
and carried away into captivity. 

''These attacks," said Sevier, ''are from 
the Erati. What are we going to do 
about it?" 

Now the Erati were a hardy, moun- 
tainous tribe, who dwelt high up among the 
rocky fastnesses of the Smokies — just where, 
no white man knew, for never had attempt 
been made to explore this wild and inacces- 
sible country; and even to this day no 



114 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

wilder spot is to be found in all the length 
and breadth of our land. 

"There is but one hope," said Sevier, 
•'and that is to find their village and swoop 
upon it." 

Accordingly with only one hundred and 
thirty rnen, Sevier set out upon one of the 
most daring, most dangerous expeditions 
recorded anywhere in the history of the 
world. And in his success, we read of one 
of the most brilliant exploits the world has 
ever known. 

With only a compass to direct them, the 
little company set forth. Up the French 
Broad river; across the ford at Painted 
Rocks; up the steep banks of Laurel Run; 
in through the trackless forests; over fallen 
trees and tangled underbrush; through 
swamps, across ravines, and down precipices 
they made their way till at last they stood 
upon the bald summit of the Smoky Moun- 



Indian Wars. 115 

tain range. Gladly the men lay down to 
rest. They knew little of their location, 
and still less of their surroundings. They 
were in the Smokies, and so in the regions 
of the Erati, — of that they were sure. 

All night long the men slept soundly; 
but at daybreak they were awake and ready 
to begin to search the valley for the en- 
trenched Erati. 

Gradually, the morning mist rolled away; 
the valley cleared; at the foot of the moun- 
tain lay a rolling plain many miles in width. 
Away on the distant horizon lay great for- 
ests, dim and purple in the morning light. 
And see! away beyond the Welch Bald, 
a mountain rising abruptly from the plain 
there were little wreaths of smoke! Every 
man sprang to his feet! It was an Indian 
village! There could be no mistake! And 
only a few miles away! Quickly the little 
party descended the mountain, crept to- 



116 



PIONEERS OF THE REVOLUTION. 



ward Welch Bald, and before nightfall, had 
passed the great gorge, and were safely hid- 
den in the trees. Again they rested, and 
at daybreak set forth again. At noon, 
they stood upon a wooded ridge, looking 
down into the largest of the Erati villages. 



Jl 







EBATI VILLAGE. 



Here they fastened their horses, formed 
in line, and poured themselves down upon 
the savages. Fifty of the warriors were 
slain on the spot. Crack, crack, went the 



Indian Wars. 117 

rifles; and for every bullet an Indian fell. 
No defense was possible. "Nollichucky 
Jack! Nollichucky Jack!" they yelled, and, 
panic stricken, fled to the mountains. The 
white men set fire at once to the village, 
destroyed the grain and cattle, and left the 
valley a smoking ruin. 

Oconostota, only the more defiant that the 
Erati had fallen before the white men, de- 
termined, let come what might, to be forced 
into no treaty of peace. He could summon 
no forces, but he would keep up constant 
annoying attacks upon the white people; 
thus preventing Sevier and his men from re- 
turning to the east, where they had already 
been summoned by the Colonial Governor. 

But at last the Chickamaugas, tired of 
defeat, and of this inglorious warfare, turned 
against Oconostota, dethroned him, drove 
him from their tribe, and joined under Old 
Tassel in a treaty of peace. 



118 Pioneers of the Revolution. 



THE END OF THE WAR. 



^^IJT LAST Sevier's men were free to 
^m return again to the East. The 
backwoodsmen arrived in time to 
join with Marion and strike some of the 
final blows which brought the Revolution- 
ary war to a close. 

Shelby, when he had escorted the King's 
Mountain captives into Virginia, had re- 
turned at once with his "backwoodsmen' 
to the headquarters of General Gates. 

Cornwallis had come to a halt, and was 
gathering his forces for another march. 
"These mountaineers seem quiet now," he 
said; "and we will proceed with our plans." 
Not that Cornwallis dreamed for a moment 
that they could do real harm to the royal 
British army! No; but they were a little 



The End of the War. 119 

annoying, and had a way of disturbing his 
generalship's plans at somewhat inconven- 
ient times! 

When Shelby heard that Cornwallis was 
again on the march and towards Winns- 
boro, he called his men around him. *'See 
here, boys," he said, "at Winnsboro and 
along the mountains is a hot-bed of Tories. 
If Cornwallis reaches there, the Tories will 
flock by the hundreds to join him. I know 
the country thereabout." 

"What shall we do?" asked General 
Gates; for well had that vacillating and 
weak general learned to respect the judg- 
ment of the sturdy over-mountain men. 

"Send a force to cut him off," was 
Shelby's ready answer. 

"But we have only fourteen hundred 
men," groaned Gates; for the burden of 
war was heavy upon the patriot army, and. 
too heavy *for General Gates. 



120 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

A few days later, however, a small force 
under General Morgan was sent, and the 
glorious battle of Cowpens followed — a bat- 
tle than which King's Mountain only was 
more glorious! 

''I'd rather have been in that battle," 
said Shelby when he heard of the victory, 
''than to be king!" and we know full well 
he would have been there — in the thickest 
of the fight — had he not been serving then 
in the General Assembly. "But my brother 
had the honor! That is next best to having 
it myself!" And the brave man gave three 
rousing cheers, for in such a light did the 
Western Pioneers regard even an oppor- 
tunity to fight for freedom. 

Cornwallis was now moving northward. 
The British had again been driven back 
at Eutaw, and there were rumors that 
Cornwallis was planning to join his forces 
with Clinton. 



The end of the War. 121 

.'If he does this," wrote Greene to Se- 
vier, "the war is not at an end. Come, 
and bring with you every man that can 

carry a rifle. " 

'<Times are dark," wrote Greene at the 
same time to Washington, "but if I can 
collect the militia under Sevier and Shelby, 

there is hope." 

It was weeks before this message reached 
the over-mountain men, but when it did 
arrive, Sevier, true to his record, set out 
at once to scour the country; and in a few 
days five hundred volunteers were ready, 
and away they marched across the moun- 

tains. 

At Davis's Ferry they joined brave Ma- 
rion's men, and together they made an 
army to be remembered in song and story 
as long as lives the name of Washington! 

With this splendid body of cavalry and 
mounted riflemen, Marion pushed on 



122 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

straight into the face of the British forces. 
Early in the morning they set out. On, 
on, through the woods they pushed their 
way, till at the end of the second day, they 
encamped but two miles from — as they 
supposed — an army of Hessians, allies of 
the British. 

"We will attack them at daybreak," said 
Marion; and scouts were sent out to re- 
connoiter. 

''They have gone," was the word brought 
in by the scouts; "they are already far 
away on their march to Yorktown." 

For a moment the heart of Marion sank. 
**Too late," he groaned. "But never 
mind," he cried a minute after; "we won't 
march back with nothing done! There's 
the British position. We will march upon 
it! Are you ready?" 

"Ready," was the answer; and at break 
of day, before the British were awake or 



The End of the War. 123 

even dreamed of Marion's approach, Sevier 
with Shelby at his right hand, marched up 
to the abattis, and sent in their flag with 
the brief message, "Surrender!" 

''Surrender!" thundered the British of- 
ficer, "Never!" 

"But you will," answered Shelby coolly. 
"The Tennessee boys are here! Would 
you hear their yell! And we are ready to 
fight you with rifles or with tomahawks. " 

The British commander winced. He had 
heard the Tennessee yell, and he knew the 
Tennessee boys. 

"I surrender," he said, and laid down 
his arms. 

Even Shelby and Sevier themselves were 
surprised at their own success. "Now," 
said they to their men, "secure the ammu- 
nition and away to Marion; Stuart is only 
a few miles away; he will let no time slip 
by when he hears of this. 



124 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

It was a perilous march, and Stuart v/as 
close at hand; but the tired men set forth, 
and at three o'clock in the morning they 
were within Marion's camp again; the story 
of their success was told, and Marion's 
army, up and in arms, awaited the sure 
approach of Stuart. 

Marion was strongly intrenched behind 
a swamp; breastworks were hastily thrown 
up, and in only three hours after the ar- 
rival of Sevier and Shelby, Stuart's men 
were upon them. 

"Every man to his place!" commanded 
Marion ; and every man was ready. Straight 
towards the camp Stuart's men marched. 

"We will wait their attack on the edge 
of the swamp," said Sevier and Shelby; 
and taking their little force, they went out 
from the camp. 

"This shall be your last battle, you 
swamp fox," said Stuart between his teeth. 



The End of the War. 125 

But just then his eye fell upon the line 
of men drawn up along the swamp. 

* 'Ready, boys! Now! Yell!" commanded 
Sevier. 

Then out upon the air burst the yell of 
the Tennesseeans. Yell after yell and 
howl following howl, in tones that no words 
can describe, filled the air. 

"The yelling fiends!" growled Stuart. 
''March on!" 

But a fear had fallen upon the British 
lines! Panic followed! 

"Halt!" thundered Stuart; but his com- 
mand was drowned in the yelling of the 
enemy. "Halt!" cried every commander 
of every division. Yell upon yell echoed 
from every rock, and the frightened men 
heard only the yells. 

"Already they were a half mile across 
the plain. 

"The cowards!" hissed Stuart. 



126 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

''After them! After them!" cried Sevier; 
and out from the swamp, with yells and 
howls that shook the hills, the over-moun- 
tain men rushed forth. 

''The fools!" hissed Stuart again; and 
this time he included both his own men 
and the Watauga army. 

But as the yells came nearer and nearer, 
Stuart, too, turned and fled; and, as far 
as one might judge, he fled, even as his 
own panic-stricken men had fled, from 
simple terror at that well-known yell of 
the Watauga boys from over the moun- 
tains. 

Straight to Charleston this army of 
Stuart ran, and the work of Sevier and 
Shelby was over. Back now, and for the 
last time, they made their way through 
blinding snow and over icy passes, down 
into the land where brave Robertson held 
the forts and watched over the homes. 



The End of the War. 127 

"You have come none too soon," said 
Robertson; for already Tories were pour- 
ing over the mountains, fleeing for safety 
to the Chickamaugas. Together the To- 
ries and the savages were planning attacks 
upon the settlers; and the savages, em- 
boldened by their reinforcements, were ad- 
vancing fearlessly. 

"We shall see," said Sevier; and, as 
was his custom, he set out at once. On 
into the land of the Echota he pushed his 
way. There, with Old Tassel, he held a 
long council, showing him how foolish he 
was, and how sure he was of defeat. 

Old Tassel and the Ottan chiefs made 
peace with Sevier, and even guided him 
in his march toward the Chickamaugas. 

Town after town of the Chickamaugas 
the little army laid waste, driving the red- 
skins on before them. At Lookout Moun- 
tain they halted. There, with about five 



128 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

hundred Tories, the chiefs Big Fool and 
Bloody Fellow, prepared to make a stand 
against the advancing mountaineers. 

On, steadily and with unflinching cour- 
age, Sevier cHmbed the mountain and 
rushed upon the enemy. Again there was 
a short, quick battle, from which the In- 
dians ran howling in fright, and the Tories 
followed closely upon their heels. 

This defeat subdued the Chickamaugas, V 

and even the Tories had little courage to 
urge them on again. 

''It is as I told you," said Nancy Ward, 
the prophetess; ''the Great Spirit is against 
you in this war upon these people. See 
how you have been punished." 

But as we all know, the war in the East 
was rapidly drawing to a close. Cornwallis 
had surrendered at Yorktown and peace 
was soon proclaimed. With glad hearts the 
Watauga boys went back to their homes, 



The end of the War. 129 

hung their rifles over their fireplaces, and 
went to work upon their neglected farms- 

It had been a wonderful experience; the 
almost unvarying success of these men 
seems incredible. But their victories were 
due in no small degree to the remarkable 
speed with which they always moved 
against their foes, thus paralyzing them 

with fear. 

They understood well the Indian char- 
acter; then, too, the heaviness of the Brit- 
ish was always in their favor. In this last 
battle, not one of Sevier's men was killed; 
and in the whole thirty-four battles which 
this hero had fought, he lost not more 
than sixty of his men, -a record which 
finds its parallel in no other war, nor under 
any other leader. 

"When this war was over," says Kirk, 
in his "Rear Guards of the Revolution," 



i3o Pioneers of the Revolution. 

''these men returned to their homes and 
went about the more peaceful employments 
of civilization. They had rendered great 
and vital services to their country. No 
other body of equal numbers ever achieved 
such great results in human history. They 
balked the deeply laid plans of the British 
cabinet, backed by the whole power of the 
British empire. 

"This they did in 1776, when but a 
handful of two hundred men, and again 
in 1780, when only a thousand strong, they 
climbed the Alleghanies, and descended, 
a living avalanche, upon the British bayo- 
nets. 

"And in the closing crisis, they rushed 
once more to the front and gave a final 
blow to the fleeing invaders. 

"All this they did, too, while their own 
homes were encircled with savage fire; 
while the tomahawk was brandished above 



The End of the War. I3l 

the heads of their famihes, and the mid 
night torch was apphed to their dwelhngs. 

"They scaled untraveled heights, and 
waded the deep swamps of the seaboard. 
Under the broihng sun of the Santee, and 
amid the snows of the Alleghanies; in hun- 
ger and thirst and weariness such as few 
could endure; they sought, and found, and 
conquered the enemy. 

"They did a great work — a work that 
could not have been done better by a much 
larger army. And for all this, the men of 
the rear guard deserve to be held in grate- 
ful remembrance by their country. " 



Let the eastern boys and girls, then, 
glory to share their Revolutionary honors 
with the western boys and girls. And west 
ern boys and girls, claim your share. The 
Pioneers helped to save the country! So 



132 Pioneers of the Revolution. 

then, why not, as we did in the beginning 
ning of our story, send up three cheers for 
the Colonists, and three more — rousing 
ones now, for they do not always get the 
credit they deserve — for the Revolutionary 
Pioneers of the South! 

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Colonists and 
Pioneers! Pioneers and Colonists. Hurrah! 



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